BMW & MINI in drive to attract new talent

BMW Group has joined forces with other leading UK car manufacturers to help launch the Automotive Apprenticeship Matching Service and develop the skilled workforce of the future.

The new Matching Service, developed and funded through the Automotive Industrial Partnership (an industry skills collaboration, supported by government), will help up to 10,000 high quality candidates per annum secure an automotive apprenticeship, where the company programmes to which they apply are oversubscribed. 

BMW Group currently employs more than 200 apprentices across its UK operations and receives around 1,000 applications for around 50 places each year. It is expected that the Matching Service will be of particular benefit to the wider automotive supply chain in which BMW Group and other car manufacturers operate, ensuring that high-calibre candidates seeking a career in the sector are helped to succeed.

Other employers collaborating and driving the partnership include Bentley, Ford, GKN, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall. 

The launch of the service comes as new research carried out by advanced manufacturing skills body Semta, on behalf of the Automotive Industrial Partnership, reveals how a shortage of adequate training provision in the sector could start to impact on the skills needed to sustain automotive productivity in this growing sector, particularly in manufacturing and engineering disciplines. 
The report, published today, complements earlier research, which found up to 5,000 job vacancies in the sector could be vacant due to a lack of skills needed to fulfil them.

Dr Simon Farrall, Head of Apprentice and Associate Training at BMW Group and Vice-Chair of the Automotive Industrial Partnership, said: “As a major UK employer that is committed to developing skills in our industry, we’re delighted to be working with the Automotive Apprenticeship Matching Service. Each year we have huge interest in our apprenticeship programmes and receive far more applications than there are places available. There are some very capable candidates who apply to us and we don’t want to simply turn people away.  

"By introducing these candidates to the Matching Service, engineering businesses can access these quality applicants, which enables them to recruit more effectively. This not only enables companies to secure their talent pipeline but also helps to retain and nurture much needed skills within the automotive sector.”

Jo Lopes, Head of Technical Excellence at Jaguar Land Rover and Chair of the Automotive Industrial Partnership said, “As an industry, the automotive sector has a long standing history of providing apprenticeships – and there are many great career opportunities. But we recognise that there is more we can do to attract and support our new talent pipeline. By taking a collaborative and innovative approach to developing new skills solutions, with larger employers working alongside smaller component manufacturers we are ensuring that our whole industry will benefit.”

The Matching Service is a unique interactive service facilitated by apprenticeship matching platform GetMyFirstJob. It will work smartly and collaboratively with both candidates and companies across the supply chain, providing full support throughout the recruitment and development process.

Skills Minister Nick Boles said: “The UK is the most productive of all European car manufacturers – if we are to maintain this position, it’s essential that we have the right skills. Apprenticeships provide an opportunity for young people to gain valuable skills that employers in the industry want and need and services like the Automotive Apprenticeship Matching Service are a prime example of industry working together to make the most of the opportunities they can offer.”

Al Parkes, Chief Operating Officer from Semta said: "Growing automotive specific apprenticeship training provision in key skills shortage areas was a key recommendation in the research report and the launch of the Matching Service strongly supports this.

“The Matching Service is vital for the industry and has huge potential to be broadened to support the recruitment and development of new talent in the wider advanced manufacturing sector and indeed other disciplines, hugely benefiting employment as a whole in the UK.”

One firm that the Matching Service will benefit directly is developer and supplier of emissions reduction and fuel efficiency technology for vehicles, Torotrak. 

Adam Robson, CEO of Torotrak welcomed the initiative, saying: “The Matching Service is a much needed service that will hugely benefit Torotrak. We needed help recruiting high quality candidates with the right training to achieve our growth plans, so the launch of this service couldn’t have come at a better time.  We expect it to ease the process for us, resulting in significant recruitment resource, time and cost savings.”

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